Certificate of Foundations in Engineering Management | NC State University
Certificate in Engineering Management Foundations
Last Updated: 08/14/2023 and all information on this page is accurate and up-to-date
The Engineering Management Foundations Certificate is a graduate program that will help advance your career as you look to take on more responsibility or move into a management role. The program provides you with the principles and foundational concepts for the planning and management of industrial and technical pursuits. The certificate is available on-campus and online through our Engineering Online Program.
This certificate provides an option that would meet the demand for the key concepts and provide a graduate certificate for those unsure about committing to an entire master’s degree program. By design, successful certificate completion would also cover 40 percent of the MEM degree. Further, the certificate curriculum intentionally requires little to no prerequisites, making you highly marketable.
If you decide to transfer courses into a master’s degree program, like MEM, you should consult the Director of the Graduate Certificate Program (DGCP) regarding specific requirements. Also, note that NC State requires a B or higher grade to transfer into a master’s degree program per the Graduate Student Handbook (Section 3.1.D).
- Unless the Director of the DGCP grants you an exception, you must choose courses as outlined in the table below.
- Of the 12 hours, three (3) hours may be at the 400 level with prior approval from the DGCP, per the Graduate Student Handbook (Section 3.13).
- The other nine (9) hours will be at the 500 level or above.
- You must take one course per semester to remain in good standing. For your grades to count toward the certificate, they must be a B- or higher. Also, a GPA of 3.00 is required to earn the certificate.
- The Graduate Student Handbook lists all additional requirements (Section 3.13).
- Because of its specificity and high demand, premium tuition is charged on this certificate. If you are currently pursuing other degrees and/or certificates, you will not be admitted to this certificate program until you complete those other programs. Once you are enrolled in this certificate, credit hours will be subject to the MEM tuition premium until the certificate is received.
- If you are in an existing degree program without a tuition premium, you may not add a second program with a tuition premium concurrent with the existing degree. If you are in a degree program with a tuition premium, you may not add a second program that has a different tuition premium (including no premium).
- Premium tuition is charged based on your program of study, not the individual courses you take. This policy is outside the department’s control. For instance, you, the MEM student, pay the MEM premium even if in a given semester where you take one, two or three courses outside the MEM curriculum. Similarly, once you are admitted to the Engineering Management Foundations Graduate Certificate Program and the certificate is added to your program of study, you will be charged the premium.
Curriculum
The certificate requires that you take 12 credit hours of engineering management graduate courses. The curriculum addresses the following topic areas for engineering management:
- Quantitative literacy / Student choice (3 credits)
- Leadership and communication (3 credits)
- Project management and coordination (3 credits)
- Financial Competency (3 credits)
| Theme | CURRICULUM: Engineering Management Graduate Certificate | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| ISE/OR 501 Intro to Operations Research 1 | ||
| ISE 535 Python Programming for Industrial & Systems Engineers 1 | ||
| ISE 537 Data Science for Industrial & Systems Engineers | ||
| MBA 545 Decision Making under Uncertainty 1 | ||
| EM 589 Probability and Statistics for Engineers 1 | ||
Quantitative Literacy / Student Choice | ST 513 Statistics for Management I 2 | |
| ST 515 Experimental Statistics for Engineers I | ||
| ST 517 Applied Statistical Methods I 2 | ||
| TE 533 Lean Six Sigma Quality | ||
| EGR 517 Facilities Engineering Systems 1 | ||
| EGR 518 Environmental Compliance for Facilities Engineers 1 | ||
| Or 500-level course from MEM curriculum with approval by DGCP | ||
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| EGR 501 Engineering Leadership and Strategic Change 1 | ||
Leadership and Communication | COM 527 Seminar in Organizational Conflict Management 2 | |
| COM 530 Interpersonal Communication in Science/Technology Organizations 2 | ||
| COM 556 Seminar in Organizational Communication | ||
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| EM 530 Project Management 1 | ||
Project Management and Coordination | EM 590 Engineering Project Management 2 | |
| BUS 554 Project Management 2 | ||
| CE 561 Construction Project Management 2 | ||
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| ISE 510 Applied Engineering Economy 1 | ||
Financial Competency | EGR 505 Managerial Finance for Engineers 2 (includes Accounting) | |
| CE 567 Risk and Financial Management in Construction 2 | ||
| CERTIFICATE total | 12 |
Note: ST 516 and 518 may be substituted for ST 515 and 517, respectively, providing you meet the requirements.
1 Course taught both on-campus and online.
2 Course offered online only.
Admission Requirements
Application to the program requires:
- An online application form
- Transcripts of all academic work after high school
- A written personal statement
Admission will be on a competitive basis, and the GRE is not required. Your academic success might have a strong bearing on admission, but, completing a certificate program in no way guarantees entry into a graduate degree program. You should have a STEM or other relevant bachelor’s degree.
Certificate Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the graduate certificate program, students will be able to:
- Show an understanding of critical concepts for engineering leadership, organizational communication and communication techniques for working with various stakeholders
- Understand and apply basic financial concepts to analyze alternatives for projects of multiple lengths and cash flows
- Apply conceptional, analytical and practical tools to plan and manage a project with various stakeholders
- Identify quantitative tools and analytical methods available for solving multiple problems
- Effectively communicate quantitative information to technical and non-technical audiences